Be sure to report crop acres

Our focus will soon be changing from planting to reporting your acres with the FSA.

Reporting crops

Spraying, making hay and worrying about the weather all rate in there somewhere, but since this is an FSA article — Just a friendly reminder, the final reporting date for all spring planted crops is July 15.

Now, just because that is the last day you can report timely, it does not mean that you shouldn’t make an appointment with your local office to report them before then.

For most of you who participate in our programs, you know the drill, it’s not your first rodeo.

Making an appointment to report your crops when you are done planting allows us to be as efficient as we can be with your time.

Weather

Speaking of reporting, when bad weather prevents planting crops, you need to report the acreage to your FSA office within 15 days after the final planting date of the crop for prevented planting

This applies to all crops, whether covered by crop insurance or not.

Producers who do have their crops insured through crop insurance, should contact their agent ASAP and advise them of the prevented planting or failed acreage as well.

Committee

If you have benefitted from the programs and services that FSA offers, I would ask you to please consider serving a three-year term as a county committee member.

Every county FSA office has a committee, made up of local producers in that area to ensure that the federal farm programs are administered at the local level.

They make decisions on applications for federal farm program and disaster eligibility and payments.

Committee members represent the townships surrounding their homes and are elected by active producers in those same townships.

The FSA County Committee supports all producers in their community who are interested and are strongly encouraged to nominate themselves or another eligible candidate. The nomination period is June 15 to Aug. 1.

Honoring the fallen. As you read this, Memorial Day will have passed. In prior years, I have written about my thoughts regarding Memorial Day — a time to remember those who gave their lives while in the service of our country.

What started as a day of remembrance in 1868 — known as Decoration Day, to honor the fallen Union troops of that conflict — has evolved over the years to recognize the sacrifices of all Americans who have died while in the service of our nation.

To be honest it wasn’t until I was a young Marine stationed in the Pacific that I came to fully appreciate the meaning of this day.

My unit happened to be home, off of deployment. We were tasked as an honor guard for the Memorial Day service that year, held at the National Cemetery of the Pacific.

Arriving at the cemetery that morning, with less than a positive attitude at what we were tasked to do, the scene before me struck a chord that still resonates to this day.

Thousands of white crosses laid out in a near perfect pattern, each being the final resting place for someone that had gone before me, sacrificing their futures in the service of our nation.

Never have I stood straighter, saluted crisper or been more proud to serve than at that moment.

It was only then, that I understood why this day is a National Holiday.

I find this quote by Rudyard Kipling,from The Old Issue, still rings true.

“All we have of freedom, all we use or know — This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.”